|
More About Terns and Ternlets ...
|
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily Sterninae of the gull family Laridae. They are less closely related to the waders, auks and skimmers. They have a worldwide distribution.
Most terns belong to the large genus Sterna, with the other genera being small, though some authorities split the genus Sterna into several smaller genera (see list, below).
Many terns breeding in temperate zones are long-distance migrants, and the Arctic Tern probably sees more daylight than any other creature, since it migrates from its northern breeding grounds to Antarctic waters. One Arctic Tern, ringed as a chick (not yet able to fly) on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast in eastern Britain in summer 1982, reached Melbourne, Australia in October 1982, a sea journey of over 22,000 km (14,000 miles) in just three months from fledging - an average of over 240 km per day, and one of the longest journeys ever recorded for a bird.
They are in general medium to large birds, typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. They have longish bills and webbed feet. They are lighter bodied and more streamlined than gulls, and look elegant in flight with long tails and long narrow wings. Terns in the genus Sterna have deeply forked tails, those in Chlidonias and Larosterna shallowly forked tails, while the noddies (genera Anous, Procelsterna, Gygis) have unusual 'notched wedge' shaped tails, the longest tail feathers being the middle-outer, not the central nor the outermost
Most terns (Sterna and the noddies) hunt fish by diving, often hovering first, but the marsh terns (Chlidonias) pick insects of the surface of fresh water. Terns only glide infrequently; a few species, notably Sooty Tern, will soar high above the sea. Apart from bathing, they only rarely swim, despite having webbed feet.
Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species now known to live in excess of 25-30 years.
|
|
Source: Wikipedia Read more about Terns and Ternlets
|
|
|
INFO LINKS
|
Common Tern
Calgary's Weaselhead Society
About Common Tern Read More
|
Forster's Tern
Calgary's Weaselhead Society
About Forster's Tern Read More
|
Antarctic Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Antarctic Tern Read More
|
Artic Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Artic Tern Read More
|
Black Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Black Tern Read More
|
Bridled Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Bridled Tern Read More
|
Common Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Common Tern Read More
|
Elegant Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Elegant Tern Read More
|
Grey Backed Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Grey Backed Tern Read More
|
Inca Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Inca Tern Read More
|
Peruvian Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Peruvian Tern Read More
|
Sandwich Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Sandwich Tern Read More
|
Snowy-Crowned Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Snowy-Crowned Tern Read More
|
Sooty Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Sooty Tern Read More
|
South American Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about South American Tern Read More
|
White Tern
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about White Tern Read More
|
Gray Ternlet
AvesdeChile.cl (Spanish)
Brief narrative about Gray Ternlet Read More
|
Fairy Tern
Department of Conservation, New Zealand
Fact Sheet Read More
|
White Tern
Aves de Chile (Spanish)
Brief description of White Tern Read More
|
Inca Tern
Aves de Chile (Spanish)
Brief description of Inca Tern Read More
|
Snowy-Crowned Tern
Aves de Chile (Spanish)
Brief description of Snowy-Crowned Tern Read More
|
|
